Now we didn't want to blind-side the liberal government with these requests (Hey, I've spoken to Charest, he's a nice guy!). So back in May I contacted his offices and was told a guy named David Rheault was the go-to person in justice for the liberals. So I phoned Rheault just to give him a heads up of what was coming down the pike. Then I called him again. Then I called him again! These guys never return calls.

So I figured, "ok, their loss, I'll go ahead and blindside them with the request". I mailed it directly with back-up documentation to Charest, Dupuis, Marcoux, this guy Rheault and a half-dozen other Liberal cronies from the Townships. That was on June 12th.

I hear nothing. So then I pester them and finally get someone to say, "oh ya, that request? It's being handled by Jean Quenneville."

Ok, fine so I phone Jean Quenneville. And I phone again. And I phone again!

Nothing. It's really amazing to me; how is it that the people cannot get in touch with a politician? What's wrong with this picture?

And what's worse is the press. So we have this press conference where we say we want a cold case squad; and we want the Charest government to create it. Isn't the next logical step to ask the Charest government, "Hey! Minister Dupuis! About this request! Are you going to honor it?"

Why do I have to walk through the ABC steps of creating change?

So now I'm really pissed. Yesterday I turned the whole matter over to the BQ and the PQ: I figure maybe they'd like something like this to sink their teeth into. Even better, I think Serge Menard - the former Minister of Public Security in charge of implementing the Poitras commission changes? - is now an opposition leader in my brother's riding (Laval - Rosemere). So I wrote him too.

Allow me to explain this to you. I don't want to wait for M. Quenneville to contact me; if I do that I'll be waiting forever. So I would like to contact him. Now, I live in the United States. It costs a lot of money for me to make a long distance call to Quebec. It would be much more efficient for me to contact M. Quenneville through email.

So if you could provide me with the email I am sure I will enjoy the rest of my week.

Interesting stuff this Poitras Commission. It cost taxpayers $20 million. Of the 175 proposals presented, the commision had these specific recommendations:

1. That a civil body should overseee the Surete du Quebec

2. The Surete du Quebec should have a mission statement (they didn't have a mission statement? Well they do now)

3. Improve training for crime investigators (no progress there I should think)

4. The Surete should not conduct its own internal investigations, those should be done by the RCMP or MUC police.

5. That the Surete had poor management practices and needed to implement a performance evaluation system.

From these, then Minister of Public Security, Serge Menard set up six committees to look into improving criminal investigations, human resources practices and technology improvements, and he gave a 3 year timetable to implement changes.

In 2001 Menard proposed a 3 year strategic plan for change from 2001 - 2004 (you can view it here; it's less of a plan and more of a fantasy - what, did he draw this out on a cocktail napkin?)

Menard vowed not to let the opportunity for change in the provincial police force escape, stating,

"This report is not going to sit on a shelf... Just because we're not talking about it doesn't mean we're not acting."

But there was a problem. The Party Quebecois was ousted in 2003. Jean Charest came to power and Menard was replaced by then Public Security minister Jacques Dupuis.

So what happened to all the reform?

If I worked for the Liberals and was answering my complaint the first thing I would do is document all the changes that have taken place in the 7 years since Poitras.

"The provincial government has to set up a civilian body to overhaul the Surete du Quebec, a backward and disorganized police force that routinely breaks the law during criminal investigations, is engaged in turf wars with other police forces and lacks professionalism in the way it does police work, a public inquiry has concluded."

"...The Poitras report lists complaints about SQ officers uttering threats to potential witnesses. One investigator is quoted as saying to a witness: "I'll tell you something about how it works at the Surete du Quebec. Drugs get planted in your car, the police are called and you're screwed.""...The report paints a picture of a police force that is reluctant to use new investigative procedures, abuses its powers of arrest and detention to interrogate people who have not been arrested, relies too much on informers and does not check out information that informers give investigators."

"...Furthermore, the SQ... is unable to conduct criminal investigations of its own officers or other police forces because of a "law of silence similar to that found in organized crime," it says.""...The Poitras report also says the SQ's unwillingness to share information with other police forces - particularly Montreal Urban Community police - has hurt criminal investigations."

Your government at workSo I called the Quebec government this morning to follow-up on the letter we sent two weeks ago. David Rheault is supposed to be Charest right-hand-man for Quebec justice. Ya, and guess who's suddenly jumped off on the 4 week vacation?

The woman I spoke to Line Boucher had never even heard of any of this. Never mind it was all over the news. Never mind our request was sent directly to Charest, Dupuis, Marcoux, Bernard Brodeur, Pierre Reid, Pierre Paradis, Monique Gagnon-Tremblay and Daniel Bouchard.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

The Pillowman

The good news

Amelia and I both auditioned for Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman over at Manbites Dog theatre in Durham. It's a twisted little piece of theater about cops, child killers and the position of art in a totalitarian society.

The good news

Both Amelia and I had callbacks this after noon.

The bad news

I got cast, Amelia didn't. There's a role in the play of "the little Jesus" or "Little green pig": in the London production it was played by an adult, but in the Broadway production it was played by a child. Manbites producers thought it too disturbing to have a little girl go through the stages of the cross (crucifixion, stabbed in the side, crown of thorns, etc, etc...).

Hey! Amelia and I were up for it! Let the kid decide! We're a warped little family unit here!

What I find funny is the people who have come forward claiming to be experts, or with credentials of crime expertise who are clueless. I have heard more logical, inspired theories from the likes of this blog motley crew: Sue, Missy, Queenie, Anon, Old Townshipper, Following-It-All, The Priors, dear Holly, ni; all of you are more perceptive than any of these dilettantes.

Seriously... there are things I would like to talk about, but I can't talk about. I can only say that for anyone who may have information about these crimes - watch out: we know some things and we're moving closer to you.

Friday, June 23, 2006

So what did we find?

That seems to be the question everyone is asking. Sorry to be coy, but for obvious reasons I can't be too specific.

I would say we found about 6 or 7 pieces of evidence that warrant further testing, investigation. Amongst these pieces there is some evidence that the Magog police got wind of that they would like to inspect. We have no intention of showing it to Magog police until we do private analysis, but you might want to ask yourselves,

"does the Magog police have any unsolveds on their books that they'd like to talk to the public about?"For anyone who was there I believe that the conditions were a little rough, but could have been worse if it had been hot like it was on Sunday. The forest was quite dense in spots, there was a lot of soupy marsh. The bugs were not bad and - thankfully - no blackflies. It was virtually impossible to "dig up" any evidence; if things were buried, they stayed buried - there was so much land to cover. We were fortunate however that there were several spots that were simply garbage dumping grounds that dated back to the seventies, and some of these spots revealed some goodies.

There was a lot made of the car that was found. I had actually found that car some years ago when I first went to Giguare. Here is a photo from back then:

I find the car more creepy than anything, I doubt it is relevant.

And here's a picture of the creepy shack behind the car:

Again, what does it mean? Who knows? (believe me, the evidence we found is much more interesting than this).

Finally here's a shot of the general area we searched (a base command post was set up in the clearing):

I will post some more photos as soon as I receive them. If anyone else has photos, please send and I will post them for you.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

A well deserved thank you

I have asked Sue Sutherland to join me as a blogging partner here at Whokilledtheresa?I have heard a lot of thank yous for Sue in the past weeks; all of them deserved. But I thought I'd share some things that you don't know:

1. Sue organized everything with this search party. The co-ordination with the police, Quebec Secour, the radio operators, the sniffer dogs, the correspondence with the Surete du Quebec insisting that they participate. Everything. At one point she was disappointed that we couldn't get a helicopter. I thought it was overkill, but you know what? After slugging through those woods? We could have used a helicopter.

2. In short order I watched Sue work the phones. In the space of a drive through Montreal she called Leo Hamel, Roch Gauldreault, police officers, detectives, assault victims, you name it. Handling all of them with much more grace and poise than I could ever muster.

3. While we were at the search site on Saturday, Sue found out that Florent Henri - one of two men who originally found the body of Louise Camirand - was still living up the street. She called Florent and convinced him to come to the site and show us exactly where the body was found. The price? A kiss on each cheek for Florent (I don't think Florent would have been so receptive if I had made the same offer - Sue took one for the team).

4. On Sunday I drove with Sue throughout the Townships showing her all the important sights of the crimes. Each corner, lamp post, phone both, etc... was plastered with Who Killed Theresa posters. Sue did that weeks prior.

This is a person who will not take "no" for an answer. She is calm and focused, and only wants to see justice done. It is my hope that Sue will post in the French language and provide us all with developments in what she is attempting to accomplish.

Dear John Allore,I want to tell you how touched I was by your article in the Gazette. In 1984, after the abduction and disappearance of a 4 year old boy in Montreal, I co-founded the Missing Cchildren's Network. I left two years ago after 15 years as it is the kind of work you cannot do forever... We helped many families find their children. I wanted you to know that since that time, I have been pressuring the Montreal police to implement the Amber alert and finally, they are going to do it. They have assigned an officer who is working full-time on the project. If it saves one life... I am waiting until they are up and running and then I will put pressure on the SQ to implement it as well. I hopw that knowing that maybe another life will one day be saved (the Amber alert has helped 35 children in the States so far)and that some people are doing something for missing people will comfort you. I wish you peace.Sincerely, Susan ArmstrongA very decent person. She will be missed.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

On behalf of my brother, my parents and my family I would like to thank the people of the Townships for all their assistance and kindness in participating in the evidence recovery search last weekend near Magog,. Particularly, we would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the following:

1 Members of Quebec Secours who put so much effort into this event. Their professionalism was apparent in helping to keep the day’s activity focused and organized.

2 The amateur radio operators who came on board to help with communications.

3 The volunteers – many of them crime victims from Quebec – who gave so selflessly, only wishing to contribute to justice; your contributions were fitting; my brother and I were humbled and deeply moved by your efforts.

4 The several police officers of Quebec who came anonymously to lend support.

5 My dear friends Pierre-Hugues and Diane who speak so eloquently for Quebec victims of crime, and Miss Sue Sutherland who organized this search on behalf of justice for my sister, Theresa.

6 The National Post: for 5 years they have demonstrated leadership and persistance in shining a national light on problems with criminal justice in Quebec.

7 Friends and members of the Townships community who pitched in to assist as needed – again, such kindness touched us deeply.

Coming home to the United States I found myself searching for rental properties on Lac Memphremagog on the internet. Perhaps this is the most fitting expression of my feelings - that I was stirred again by the beauty of Quebec and its people, and how I wish to come back and share that beauty with my family.

If your French is rusty here (in English) is what we sent M. Charest and company:

June 12, 2006

This document is addressed to the Quebec Premiere, the Quebec Minister of Justice and the Quebec Minister for Public Security from the victims of crime and surviving family members of murder victims. The complaints to which we refer concern the 3 unsolved murders that took place in the Sherbrooke area between 1977 and 1978, and the 26 documented cases of sexual attacks that also occurred in that region from 1977 through 1982. Our complaint is against the Surete du Quebec and their investigations into these events from 2002 until the present.

We believe the Surete du Quebec has done an unacceptable job in attempting to solve these crimes and thus have placed the public safety of all Quebec citizens in jeopardy. Specifically our complaints are as follows:

1. Investrigators failed to return phone calls to families and victims even when families and victims specifically requested that they needed to talk to investigators.

2. Investigators failed to contact witnesses

3. Investigators failed to follow up on potential suspects provided to investigators by victims and family and the public.

4. Investigators refused to assist the families and their associates in efforts to recover evidence that could help solve crimes.

6. The Surete du Quebec does not have a communication system in place whereby citizens can provide information, tips or leads that could prove critical to solving crimes. Citizens providing information are treated with disrespect – especially women victims of sexually assault who are commonly ridiculed – phone calls are not returned. Information gets lost. Further, there is a failure on the part of all police bodies in Quebec to efficiently communicate with each other.

7. The Surete du Quebec still regards the death of Theresa Allore as “a suspicious death”, while Quebec’s Indemnisation des Victimes d'Actes Criminels (IVAC) ruled it a “death, criminal in nature”, and the RCMP maintains that any unexplained death “must be treated as a homicide unless circumstances direct otherwise.”

8. The Surete du Quebec has refused to investigate the three unsolved murders that took place in the Sherbrooke area from 1977 -1978, as well as the 26 documented incidents of sexual assaults that happened at the same time as events that possibly are related, could inform each other, and could help solve crimes.

We the undersigned call upon the Quebec government to take the following actions:

1. Commence a full inquiry into the actions of the Surete du Quebec and their negligence in attempting to solve these crimes, to ensure the public that these errors are never repeated, and may never be suffered by any citizen of Quebec again.

2. Reform the system of communication currently used by the Surete du Quebec. To protect the public interest, ensure citizens that information coming into police is captured and acted upon, and that information provided to victims and families of victims is initiated by police, and provided in a seamless and timely fashion. As well, ensure there is a timely and efficient method of communication employed by all police agencies in Quebec to communicate with each other.

3. Provide the Surete du Quebec with sufficient funding to allow them to dedicate resources to cold-cases; specifically we ask that a cold-case bureau be established in the Surete du Quebec, and we ask the Minister of Public Security to form a task force of special investigators for all unsolved murders in the province of Quebec.

We ask for your assistance in these matters with the greatest respect for the work you perform and the service you provide to the people of Quebec.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Sitting on my ass at my brothers drinking a beerI hate this kind of blogging, but I have nothing to do so I'm gonna blab.

Got in to Dorval last night around 5:30pm (it will never be Pierre Trudeau airport for me). They finally finished that seemingly decade-long renovation of the customs area: it's quite beautiful and I hear they're adding a hotel.

And Sue was there to greet me! What a nice surprise. So we sat at the lounge for an hour and chatted.

I've never met Sue. In fact, up until yesterday - having known her for 5 years - I'd never even talked to Sue. It was quite strange. Like meeting someone via the internet, only for quite macabre reasons.

And Sue's so nice! (actually I knew this; I had her scoped out by various moles and informants - if she was "s-t-r-a-n-g-e" she would have been ditched long ago. )

So... I hooked up with my rental car and drove to my brudder's place. Just in time for a photographer from The Post to arrive and take some quick photos of the two of us (see The National Post tomorrow a.m.). Then we watched the hockey game and talked about Saturday (Andre's creeped-out to set foot in those woods - who wouldn't be?).

Tonight I'm meeting Sue to strategize. Then it's off to Sherbrooke tomorrow to meet Pierre, and the press conference.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Five Days until search for evidence in Magog related to Theresa Allore Murder Investigation

Background

Theresa Allore was last seen on the evening of Friday, November 3, 1978 in Lennoxville, Quebec. Her body was found the following spring, April 13th, 1979 in Compton, Quebec. On Saturday, November 4th, 1978 two hunters – Stephen Mandigo and Samuel Burnham – spotted clothing in the woods off Giguare road near Austin, Quebec. The location was ¼ a mile down Giguare road, about 500 yards into the interior of the forest off Giguare. The hunters described seeing “darkish pants and a t-shirt”. Theresa Allore was last seen wearing dark blue corduroys and a t-shirt. On Wednesday, November 15th, 1978 the hunters and the chief of the Lennoxville police went back to the sight but were unable to re-locate the clothing.

The sighting of the clothing is significant for two reasons:

1. Theresa Allore’s clothing was never recovered.

2. The Giguare road sight is within a few hundred yards of where the body of Louise Camirand was discovered on Friday, March 25th 1977 sexually assaulted and murdered.

The Search

On Saturday, June 17th 2006 volunteers will gather at the Giguare road location to search the surrounding area in attempt to recover the remains of any possible evidence related to this case.

Organization

The search party is being coordinated by Sue Sutherland, a criminology student at the University of Montreal. Sue is working in coordination with Quebec Secours and the Magog police force. The Surete du Quebec, respnsible for the investigation of death of Theresa Allore, are not participating in the evidence recovery.

For further information, or to volunteer to join the search party please contact:

Press conference to be held in coordination of Theresa Allore evidence search

On Friday, June 16th a press conference will be held in Magog to discuss matters concerning the recovery of evidence related to the murder of Theresa Allore who died in 1978. In attendance will be Sue Sutherland, overseeing the recovery efforts, John Allore, brother of the victim Theresa Allore, and Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, President l’Association des Familles de Personnes Assassinées ou Disparues.

Mr. Allore and M. Boisvenu will also discuss their request to Quebec’s Minister of Public Security, Jacques Dupuis to create a permanent, unique task force to address cold-cases in the province of Quebec.